The Game Master
by NakedSnake143
Summary: One day a group of teenagers is sent to a universe of video games. One of them is chosen to be the Game Master, the ruler of such universe. Together with a very special dragon they must defeat their psychotic teacher and restore peace to the video game universe.
1. Chapter 1 - Dawn of the Gamers

**Chapter 1 - Dawn of the Gamers**

The bell rang at around 7:30. Immediately a swarm of students began to run to their classes. It was an average day at Apex High School. The sun was shining and kept the courtyard air warm as students hurried in and out of the building. It was mid-spring and the trees and bushes were in full bloom, their leaves colored a fresh green. The wooden benches had been cleaned of food and debris, usually from lunch, and were painted a fresh amber brown color. It seemed like the school was in tip-top shape at this time of year. Also in tip-top shape was one student who was unlike the others.

His name was Frederick. He was about 5'8, which seemed average for a sixteen-year-old boy, with short brown hair and deep green eyes. He wore dark blue jeans with a belt, a plain white T-shirt, and a grayish-black jacket over it. On his left wrist was a black digital watch. Frederick was very anonymous to those around him. He wasn't fond of attention and preferred to be left alone. But that didn't mean he had no friends. In fact, he had a group of four friends he liked to hang out with. Frederick knew them since middle school, and the group stayed with each other now to high school.

The first of the group was David. He was a tall kid of about six foot with long brown hair and bad acne. Some said he looked like Chris Pratt but others couldn't see the resemblance. He was the strongest of the five although he didn't like to show off his biceps. David most often laughed the hardest of them and was known to even fall on the floor, literally rolling on the floor laughing. He was quiet around other people but showed his true self when he was with his friends.

Next in the group was Nick. He was around Frederick's height and had long blonde hair and a pointed nose. He had a very unique voice and sounded younger than he looked. Nick was considered the funniest of the group, and also the most annoying. He had the habit of laughing face-down on the table sometimes. Nick was quiet in class but it didn't take much for him to get started up. Other physical characteristics of Nick would be his very thin stature and awkward poses.

The fourth of the group was Jarrod. He was the shortest of the group and also the one with the hottest temper. All it took was one little insult and Jarod would either get angry or fire back another insult, or both. He had this thin line of mustache hair above his lip that he never shaved. The others called it pussy hair and that he needed to shave it because he looked like a pedophile. But he was persistent and wouldn't do it. Other than those flaws Jarod was pretty lax at times and enjoyed a good joke.

The last of the group was Roger. He was the quietest of the group. Roger occasionally laughed at the common joke but otherwise said nothing. Nobody knew what was reason for his silence. Some said he had anxiety, or depression. They weren't sure why he was a part of Frederick's group. Some suggested Frederick felt sorry for him and wanted him to have friends. But besides being quiet he did help the others with homework and classwork. So he wasn't totally useless.

Today the group headed into Biology class. They took their seats and waited for the teacher to arrive. After a few moments a really large and rotund man stepped into the room. He was dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants. He had a crew cut and a fat face. In one hand were a stack of papers and in the other was a can of Pepsi. It was the teacher. They called him Mr. Howe.

It was known that Mr. Howe didn't like Frederick's group. Frederick didn't take Biology too seriously and liked to fool around in class. And his group was always behind what he did. So over the year Howe has been trying to get them in trouble of some sort, but nothing seemed to work. So the year has been going by without any real conflict between Frederick's group and Howe.

The day started off pretty normal. Howe taught his lesson and at the end handed out the homework. Frederick and the gang were being pretty incognito. Not much talking or fooling around today. Howe began to suspect they were on to him. Howe had something planned for them. A surprise they would get to witness after class. He had been working on it since Frederick and company first entered his class. Now he just needed test subjects to see whether it would work or not.

After class everyone piled up out of the room. Frederick and his group of friends were the last ones to leave. But before they could walk out the door Howe stepped in front of them.

"I need to speak with you for a moment," Howe said, closing the door slowly. The five guys looked at him confused. Then they walked over to his desk and waited. Howe walked towards them and sat down at his desk. He folded his hands and began to speak.

"So it comes to my attention that you guys have been causing trouble lately," Howe said. Frederick gave him a confused look. The others stood there wondering what he meant by that.

"I don't think so," Frederick said. "We've been doing our best lately. I don't know what you've been noticing, but it isn't us." Howe sighed, leaning back in his chair. Nick looked a bit nervous and so did Roger, obviously. Instead of saying anything Howe opened the top drawer of his desk. He took something out and then closed it. In his hands now was a black Xbox 360 controller. Frederick and the gang looked even more confused now.

"So you're a gamer," David said. He shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me."

"Not a gamer," Howe said. "I'm actually a designer." He waved the remote around in his hand.

"Oh really," Frederick said. "What games did you design?"

"That," Howard spoke. "Is what you're just about to witness. I'm creating a new video game, and you all are going to be the players!" Howe suddenly rose from his chair abruptly. The chair went flying back into the wall. Frederick and the gang backed away in sudden fear.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Frederick asked, getting ready to leave the room. Roger cowered behind a bookcase. David rolled up his sleeves, expecting a fight. Nick and Jarrod were trying to make sense of what was going on. Howe pushed the middle button on the remote. Suddenly the room began to quake. Frederick stumbled and tried to keep his balance. In the back of the room the walls began to crack and tear apart. What was forming at the back of the room appeared to be a black hole. It started to suck in all the chairs and tables in the room. The bookcase gave away and flew into the hole, along with Roger. Nick and Jarrod were sucked in next. David tried running to the door but was swept off his feet and sucked in. Frederick was the last to go, fighting as hard as he could against the current but to no avail. He was lifted off his feet and tumbled into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Adventure Begins

**Chapter 2 - The Adventure Begins**

Frederick suddenly awoke and sat up. His heart was pounding and sweat rolled down from his forehead. He looked around at his surroundings, but was unable to see anything. All around him was a black abyss. Even the ground he was sitting on seemed to not be there. The first thought that came to his mind was, "Where are my friends?" He hasn't seen them since they were all sucked into the black hole. And an even better question was where did that black hole come from? It had something to do with Howe and that Xbox remote he had. It was all connected but at the time Frederick couldn't see the connection.

Slowly but surely Frederick's vision began to come back to him. But what was strange was that his vision came back almost in a pixelated way, like he was in front of a big television screen. Once his vision came back Frederick was able to make out his surroundings. He was sitting in a big grass field under a clear blue sky. The wind was blowing softly and blew back his hair. In the distance Frederick could see white castle walls and sheep frolicking around the space. In his mind he was thinking this place looked familiar. But he couldn't put his finger on where he had seen this place.

"Find the remote," a voice suddenly called out. Frederick could hear the voice but had no idea where it came from. It was a soothing voice that sounded like it came from the bottom of an abyss. He looked around for the source but couldn't see anyone.

"Your future depends on the remote, and what you decide to do with it," the voice said. Frederick decided to get on his feet and search for this remote. Once he was standing he started walking in a straight path towards another section of the area he was in. He was in some sort of garden, except there were very little flowers. It was just open grass with castle walls surrounding. There was another section not too far from where Frederick was. That was where he was heading.

Hearing no more from the voice, Frederick reached the next section of the garden. It was another open space, but in the middle was a white pedestal. From a distance there was something on the pedestal but Frederick couldn't see it. All that he could see was that it was shimmering and golden. When he reached the pedestal he got a good glimpse at what the mysterious object was. It was an Xbox 360 remote controller. But what made it interesting was that it appeared to be made out of solid gold. The controller's body was made out of gold, while the buttons and joysticks were all normal colors. The middle button with the logo was also normal, except the green X seemed to glow a bit brighter.

Frederick's first thought told him to press the middle button. And that's exactly what he did. The remote began to transform in his hand, growing longer and sharper. Soon instead of a golden remote he was now holding a golden sword. The sword had a straight edged blade and a easy-grip handle. On the sword's hilt was the middle button.

Swinging the sword around, Frederick found that it was very light and versatile. It felt like the weapon of a champion. But was that champion going to be him, or was it somebody before him?

Putting that thought aside Frederick started to look for his next objective. He had a weapon, so defending himself would be no problem. Now he had to figure out where he was. And after that he could go look for his friends. Not too far away from him was what looked like the main castle. It was big and white and seemed to go along nicely with the walls around it. He started heading towards the castle.

Once he reached the castle he heard voices. One sounded like a young child, the other sounded like an older man. Frederick hid against the wall and listened to the voices for a moment.

"...yes, I know. But I doubt he has the stomach for any more bloodletting," said the child.

"We can't confirm that," the adult said. "He is going to continue to create monsters and send them after everyone important. Including you."

"I've been on the lookout. Nothing gets past me. You should be worrying about the others."

Frederick peered around the corner to see who it was. But when he got a glimpse of the two talking his jaw literally dropped. Inside the castle were two dragons. One was small, about the size of a labrador, with purple scales and a yellow underbelly. The second was bigger, like the size of a truck. It was bright red and looked important to some extent. Immediately Frederick remembered his video gaming memories and could identify the two dragons. The smaller one was no doubt Spyro, and the bigger one Ignitus. They're both from the video games Spyro the Dragon.

The golden sword clattered to the ground. Frederick had dropped it out of shock. The two dragons turned around and stared at him. Both of them looked confused, but then their expressions changed quickly to something urgent.

"It's him," Spyro said. Both of them started walking towards Frederick. Alarmed, Frederick picked up the sword and pointed the blade at them. The two dragons stopped in their tracks.

"Lower your weapon," Ignitus said. "We mean you no harm." Frederick ignored him, keeping his blade at the ready.

"Put the sword away," Spyro pleaded. "We know why you're here." This time Frederick pressed the middle button and the sword reverted back to a controller.

"W-What do you know about me?" Frederick asked.

"That you were sent here by an evil man," Ignitus said. "That same man is the one plaguing and terrorizing our universe. And you have been chosen to stop him." Frederick gave him a weird look. What did he mean he was chosen? Did it have something to do with the remote? And what universe? Did that explain why he was face to face with video game characters?

"You're in the video game universe," Spyro explained, as if he read Frederick's thoughts. "Howe sent you here with the black hole. But he didn't know what game he would send you to. Luckily you ended up here."

"What do you mean I was chosen?" Frederick asks.

"The previous Game Master has been slain. The duty now falls to you to take his place. That was why you were given his weapon. The Master Remote." Frederick looked at the gold remote in his hand. What kind of power did it hold besides turning into a sword?

"We can talk about the remote later," Ignitus said. "Right now you and Spyro have to head to the first game in search of Howe."

"Wait, me and Spyro?" Frederick asked.

"Yeah, you're going to need somebody to familiarize yourself with the environments," Spyro said. "And I know you've played my games, and that you like me a lot." Frederick's face turned a bit red. He didn't expect Spyro to know anything about him.

"You can open a portal to a game using the buttons on your remote," Ignitus said. "Press the Start button to open up a keyboard hologram. Then type the name of the game you want to go to." Frederick tapped the Start button and a hologram of a keyboard appeared in front of him. He thought for a moment before typing in the name of a common game he knew. Then he pressed the A button. Suddenly a small black portal opened up in front of him. It swirled around towards the center like a vortex.

"Spyro will explain more of what the remote does later," Ignitus continued. "Right now we don't have time to chat. Howe is tearing up games as we speak. You have to track him down and stop him." Frederick stared into the portal, his mind a jumbled mess. So much was being thrown at him right now that he didn't know what to think. Since when did Howe have anything to do with video games? And how in the world does a video game universe exist? So many questions, but little to no answers.

"Let's go!" Spyro suddenly said, pushing Frederick from behind. He staggered forward into the portal. Spyro jumped in behind him, and their adventure began.


	3. Chapter 3 - Super Pepsi Brothers

**Chapter 3 - Super Pepsi Brothers**

After floating in a black abyss once again, a portal opened and Frederick was thrust into the new world. He fell to the ground and landed softly. The ground was covered with luscious green grass. The sky was filled with strange clouds that had two dots for eyes and a mouth. There were green pipes sticking out of the ground and there were floating blocks with questions marks on them. Frederick got onto his feet and studied the world around him. He knew exactly where he was. He had picked to go here after all.

Spyro came out of the portal landing on his feet. The portal then closed. He took a moment to take in his surroundings before saying something. "Super Mario?" he asked. "Why here?" Frederick took the Master Remote out of his back pocket.

"It seemed like a good idea," Frederick replied. "It's a simple game with simple rules, so I figured it would be the perfect target for Howe's tyranny." He pressed the middle button on the remote and it turned into a sword. Just then a small creature started waddling towards them. It was brown and looked like a lump of crap, with two stubby feet. Its facial expression was definitely not happy.

"Goomba!" Frederick exclaimed. He charged forward and stabbed the little creature with his sword. When he pulled his sword out the creature exploded into a cloud of dust.

"Um, I think you're supposed to jump on them," Spyro put in. "After all, this is Super Mario."

"Good point," Frederick said. He pressed the middle button, turning the sword back into a remote. He then inspected a floating block just above him. It looked out-of-reach, but when he jumped he seemed to jump just a little higher. High enough so that his fist pounded the bottom of the block. The block turned brown instantly and a mushroom popped out the top. It fell to the ground just in front of Frederick. He picked it up and inspected it. It was small, small enough to fit in his hand. In fact, he could eat it in one bite. So that was what he did. After Frederick ate it he felt a sudden surge of power go through him.

Then an unexpected transformation began. Frederick's clothes suddenly changed. Instead of his jeans and jacket he was now wearing blue overalls, a red shirt, and a red cap with an "M" on it. Frederick looked down at himself and his new outfit. It was obvious that he was dressed like Mario. It seemed the items in these games had certain effects on outsiders. He wondered what a 1-Up would do to him.

"I forgot to explain that," Spyro said. "Naturally you're not from this universe, so in order to fit in the games have ways of making the "players" adapt. So in this world players will be given the attire and abilities of the Mario characters."

"Hmm…" Frederick thought aloud. "So I can be any character?"

"Yes. If you want to change what character you are use the remote. Pull up the keyboard and type in the character's name." Frederick made the keyboard appear from the remote and typed in a five letter name. Instantly his clothing changed in the blink of an eye. Now he was wearing a light green and white jumpsuit with a red saddle on his back and a tail. His shoes were orange with yellow soles. Over his head was a hood with a big nose and two long eyes.

"Yoshi?" Spyro asked. "Why?" Frederick shrugged. No doubt Yoshi was his favorite Super Mario character. He liked the dinosaur's charm as well as his abilities.

"We can talk about it later," Frederick declared. "Right now let's focus on our objective." Spyro nodded and followed Frederick as they progressed. Frederick tested his abilities as they walked. He could jump high and flutter if he kicked his legs. His tongue was able to extend to extreme lengths. And somehow he could also lay eggs, as strange as it was. Soon the two came to a forest on the outskirts of the vast plains. They went into it and followed a path that was embedded in the ground.

After a while of walking and talking about various things, Frederick and Spyro came to a big clearing. There seemed to be nothing around except for the surrounding trees and bushes. Frederick switched his remote back to a sword. He had a feeling there was going to be trouble.

"I feel that Howe is going to show us his power for the first time," Spyro said. "Let's be on our guard." As if on cue something started to come out of the ground. It was pretty big and shaped like a plant. It had a thin green stem and at the end of it was a red mouth with white spots all over it. It snapped its jaws at the two. Frederick and Spyro backed away.

"Piranha Plant…" Frederick grumbled. Those things were already a pain in the ass in the Mario games. Now facing them in real life would be a whole new experience. Frederick stepped forward and swung his sword. He cut the stem of the Piranha Plant and the head fell to the ground. It withered up and exploded into dust. Before they could celebrate they heard a sound coming from behind them. Frederick turned around and saw another Piranha Plant. He turned around again and there was another one! Turning all around Frederick and Spyro could see they were becoming surrounded.

"Gah, help!" Spyro suddenly shouted. Frederick turned around and saw that Spyro had been chomped on by one of the plants. It picked him up in its mouth and then swallowed him. Frederick was about to kill the plant with his sword, but he was afraid he'd accidentally kill Spyro inside. With Piranha Plants surrounding him Frederick couldn't see a way out. And when he killed one more seemed to spring up in its place. Then he got an idea.

Frederick quickly reverted the sword back to a remote. He typed in the name of an item and soon it appeared in his hand. It was an ice blue flower with two beady eyes. An Ice Flower. He took a bite out of it and a cold chill went through his body. Yoshis don't throw fire or ice balls from their hands. They spit it from their mouths. So Frederick opened his mouth and unleashed a cold blast of ice on the Piranha Plants. They froze solid and no others rose up to take their place. He finished freezing all of the plants, including the one that ate Spyro.

Frederick walked over to the plant that had Spyro in it. He kicked it with his foot and the plant ice sculpture shattered. Spyro fell to the ground, all in one piece.

"Ouch," he said as he got back on all fours. "Thanks Frederick." Frederick nodded and looked around at all the frozen plants. No doubt they were sent by Howe. But was that really the best he could send?

"Howe is toying with us," Frederick stated. "He sent some weak monsters because he knew we would still have a hard time fighting them."

"It doesn't seem like him to do that," Spyro put in. "Howe has always attacked with full force. And why should he fear us, even now?"

"I don't know, but I suggest we keep moving." Frederick and Spyro continued on their way through the forest. Soon the trees began to become distant and the land drastically changed. Now the ground was dull and stone-like, and the air hot and humid. The sky became dark and the atmosphere felt unpleasant. Lava pits and streams were becoming a common sight.

"This is the last level in Super Mario," Frederick said. "So Bowser's Castle shouldn't be far. That's where Howe is, I think." They came to a big fissure with lava down below. The fissure had a rope bridge spanning across it. At the other end of the bridge was Bowser's Castle.

Before either of them said anything they could see a figure approach. It was another kid from Frederick's school. He was about the same height as him, and wore khaki shorts with a plain T-shirt and red jacket over it. His hair was dark blonde and cut in almost a bowl fashion. He look vaguely familiar to Frederick and it took him a moment to figure out who it was.

"Duncan?" Frederick asked as the kid approached. He nodded.

"Yes, it's me," Duncan said. "I never expected to see you or Spyro here. How did you get here and where did that costume come from?" Frederick spent the next minute explaining how he was chosen as the new Game Master and how he was going on an adventure to defeat Howe. Duncan was from Frederick's school. He sometimes hung out with him and his gang but he had his own group of friends. Frederick didn't remember seeing Duncan get sucked into the black hole Howe created, so he was confused as to why he was here. Duncan explained that he had been sent by Howe later along with some others. He said that soon once Frederick traveled to different games he'd start meeting up with more of his friends.

"One more thing Frederick…" Duncan said as he finished up. Frederick came closer and wondered what he had to say. Before he could find out Duncan punched him right in the face. Frederick staggered backwards and fell over. Spyro growled and prepared to tackle Duncan. But Duncan took a 45 caliber pistol from his back pocket and aimed it at Spyro. The young dragon whimpered and took a cautious step back.

"Hah!" Duncan laughed. "A dragon known for his bravery, cowering before me. Howe will be most pleased when you are dead." Before Duncan could pull the trigger he was suddenly tackled to the ground. Frederick had jumped on him and wrestled the gun from his hand. They fought for a good few minutes, taking punches and swearing. Finally Duncan gave up and suddenly vanished. Frederick cursed and got up to his feet.

"I should have known that scumbag was working for Howe," Frederick said. He brushed himself off and looked down at Spyro. Spyro nodded and still looked a bit shaken up. Frederick knelt down besides him.

"What's the matter?" Frederick asked. Spyro came a bit closer to him.

"G-guns," Spyro stuttered. "I don't like them, and… I'm also afraid of them." Frederick looked confused, but eventually he understood. Spyro was still young and certainly had some fears. Frederick then got an idea. Something he always wanted to do.

"Come here," Frederick said. He held his arms out wide. Spyro looked at him with uncertainty but he knew what Frederick wanted. He stepped forward and sat down in front of Frederick, leaning into him. Frederick wrapped his arms around the dragon and pulled him close. They shared the hug for a couple minutes.

"Thanks," Spyro said. "I guess I owe you now that you saved my life twice."

"This was all I wanted," Frederick replied, holding Spyro near and dear to him. He wanted so badly to hug one of his favorite video game characters. This moment for him was a dream come true. Frederick let go of Spyro and stood back up, remembering he still had a mission. Him and Spyro began to cross the rope bridge.

Once on the other side of the fissure the castle doors mysteriously opened. They were as if inviting Frederick and Spyro inside. They took it as a sign that Howe knew they were coming for him. Inside the castle it was dark except for some dimly lit torches. The hallway looked just as it did in the Super Mario games; stone walls complete with the red carpet. The air felt dry and like it lacked enough oxygen. Soon at the end of the hallway was the doors to the main chamber. They were these big red doors that signified you were about to fight the boss. Frederick pushed open the doors and stepped into the main chamber.

It was a big room that looked just like the hallways. In the center of the room was a big throne meant to seat Bowser. But instead of Bowser sitting there it was Howe himself.

"Very good Yoshi Boy," Howe taunted. "I knew you and your pet dragon would make it here in one piece."

"Enough talk, Howe," Frederick snapped. "Your Pepsi-drinking days are over! It's high time I sent your fat ass back to where it came from." Howe laughed an evil, hardy laugh. Frederick turned his remote into a sword, preparing for battle. Spyro's nostrils flared and smoke emitted from them.

"Get them!" Howe yelled out. Out from the shadows swarms of Goombas and Koopa-Troopas came to annihilate Frederick and Spyro. The two immediately went to work, slashing the enemies and burning them. Frederick elegantly jabbed and slashed the enemies, while Spyro breathed beautiful columns of flame at them. Howe sat on the throne, watching the battle unfold. It seemed Frederick and Spyro had the upper hand. They were gracefully and easily defeating every opponent that came towards them. Soon the swarms started to diminish.

"Dammit!" Howe pouted, hitting the side of his throne with his fist. That fist was also the hand that was holding his Pepsi, so some of the Pepsi spilled out of the can. "No, my Pepsi!" He got off the throne quickly and on all fours, lapping up the Pepsi off the floor. In the midst of the fighting Frederick and Spyro burst into laughter.

Howe looked up and gave them a look of embarrassment. He got up off the floor and polished off the rest of the soda in the can. From the look of the ongoing battle he knew Frederick and Spyro would win. "Get them, Bowser!" Howe screamed.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Loud footsteps were heard from some unknown creature approaching. From the darkness a large creature emerged. It was none other than Bowser. He looked just like he did in the Super Mario games, only a little bigger. His eyes were glowing red which indicated he was under Howe's control. Bowser let out a loud, intimidating roar. It made Frederick clamp his hands to his ears. Then Bowser began a slow approach to annihilate him and Spyro.

Frederick readied his sword and Spyro charged some fire in his mouth. Then something unexpected happened. A sudden blur of yellow and purple zoomed out and hit Bowser in the face. Bowser fell backwards and hit the floor. The blur continued to hit Bowser all over until he exploded into dust. Then the blur slowed down until it formed the shape of a man. It was Wario! Well, he looked like Wario. He was dressed in purple overalls and yellow shirt and cap, but he wasn't short and fat like Wario. Instead he was tall and medium weighted, with long brown hair and acne all over his face. Frederick's eyes lit up as he knew who it was. It was David!

Howe yelped and ran off into the shadows. David ran after him and didn't come back for a couple minutes. Then David came out of the shadows with nothing. Howe had gotten away.

"Fat ass," David muttered. He then went up to Frederick and Spyro. "Salutations Yoshi and Spyro. I see you are in need of assistance." Frederick smiled and shook David's hand.

"It's great to see you," Frederick said. "You showed up just in time."

"I did, but too bad Howe got away. That's means we'll have to track him down in the next game." Frederick took the next moment to explain to David the whole Game Master theorem, and the mission that was on hand. David seemed to understand and told Frederick how he ended up in the Super Mario world. David woke up in a field and got a clove of garlic from a block which turned him into Wario.

"How many games do you think Howe has already hit?" Spyro asked. "He hasn't hit my world yet."

"We don't know," David replied. "We just got here. Once we advance through some of the games we'll get a better understanding of what Howe has influence over." Frederick typed in the name of another video game he knew into the remote. Then a portal to that game opened.

"Let's waste no time," Frederick said. "We must go after Howe wherever he is." Spyro and David agreed. The two of them followed Frederick into the portal.


	4. Chapter 4 - Pepsimon

The portal opened in the new game and spat out Frederick, Spyro, and David. They fell to the ground in a heap. After untangling themselves they got to their feet and looked around. Around them was a small neighborhood of two-story houses. Tall grass stood on the outskirts of the town by the thick forest. The weather was clear just like in the previous game. It felt peaceful, a little more peaceful then the Super Mario world had.

Frederick's Yoshi suit was gone and he was back in normal clothing. David was also in normal clothing now. Spyro hadn't changed. David was wondering what game had Frederick taken them to.

Before any of them could say anything they heard something. The sound of yelling, cursing, and hitting. Frederick dashed over to the street where he saw a fight going on. Two kids were punching and kicking each other right in the middle of the street. The first kid was bigger and dressed in a jacket, jeans, and a cap. The smaller kid was thin, had wavy blonde hair, and dressed in similar attire. David went forward and pulled the bigger kid off the smaller one. He gave the kid a good punch to the face and then pushed him to the ground. The bigger kid scrambled to his feet and ran off. The smaller kid recovered from the fight and came towards them. Now they could see that it was Nick!

"David, Frederick!" Nick said happily. "How did you guys get here?" Frederick once again explained the Game Master situation and the mission to defeat Howe.

"So what game did you bring us to, Frederick?" David asked. Before Frederick could answer Nick stepped in for him.

"It's Pokemon," Nick said. "That older guy was beating me up because he lost a Pokemon battle to me and I boasted about it."

"How do you know if Howe is here or not?" Spyro asked. Frederick paused and thought about it for a moment.

"I don't," he finally said. "But hopefully it was a good guess. Here's the plan; like the last game we need to adapt and look the part." He took the remote and pulled up the keyboard. Then he began to type in some names rapidly. Once he was done him, David, Nick, and even Spyro began to glow brightly. After a couple seconds they all flashed brightly, going through a dramatic transformation.

Frederick and the others were now dressed in colorful costumes. Frederick was wearing a blue Totodile costume complete with a hood and tail. David was dressed in a orange Charmander costume that even had a flame on the tail tip. Nick had on a green Snivy costume with the leaf-shaped tail. And Spyro was wearing a yellow Pikachu costume. All of them were marveling over their new get-ups.

"Wait," David said. "Wouldn't it be easier if we were all trainers and had our own Pokemon?"

"No," Frederick replied. "This seemed more fun." And he was right about that. Nick had quickly learned how to use his moves, and was shooting razor leaves all over the place. David opened the palm of his hand and a fireball formed. When he closed it the fireball dissipated.

"Why did you give me a costume?" Spyro asked, looking over himself. "I really didn't need one."

"Yeah…" Frederick said. "But I succeeded in making you ten times cuter." Spyro blushed.

"Now that we're in the proper attire…" David began. "We should begin our search for Howe." Frederick nodded, but then looked discouraged when he saw Nick fooling around with his abilities. Nick realized everyone was staring at him and came over to them.

"Sorry…" Nick said innocently. "What's the plan?"

"Surrounding this town is the Viridian Forest," Frederick explained. "We're going to go through it if we are to reach Pewter City. In Pewter City there's a gym where I bet Howe is hiding out. So our goal is to get through the Viridian Forest."

"Then it's settled!" Spyro exclaimed. "Let's head out." Frederick and the crew waded through the tall grass and into the forest.

Inside the forest it was dark. Light came through the tops of the trees, but other then that it was pretty dark. It was quiet except for bird Pokemon chirping. The path known as Route 2 was easy to follow, but led them on many twists and turns. Nick at times got afraid that maybe they were lost.

Suddenly a person burst out onto the road from the bushes. It was a young kid dressed like a hiker with a bug net in his hand. He was panting and looked like he had been running.

"Hey, hey," David spoke. "Who are you? What are you running from?" The kid looked up but didn't answer. Then a rustle from the bushes made the kid start running again. He ran past the gang and down the road. Frederick turned his attention to the thicket. Something was out there.

"Be ready everyone…" Frederick warned. "Something's coming for us." Twigs snapped and leaves rustled as the mysterious being approached the gang. David cracked his knuckles. Nick shifted nervously. Spyro pawed the ground like he was ready to charge. Frederick was about to get out his sword, but wanted to test his Pokemon powers first. This approaching enemy should give all of them some practice with their powers.

When the being emerged from the thicket everyone's jaw dropped. This was no bug Pokemon. It was an Arbok. Not just any Arbok. This one was much bigger, and had glowing red eyes. It had been sent by Howe. It was clear now that Howe wasn't fooling around. He had sent a real monster to fight the gang.

"Spread out!" Frederick yelled. Nick ran to the left and David ran to the right. Spyro backed up while Frederick charged straight forward. He pushed his palm forward and a jet of water came out of it. It blasted the Arbok in the face and made it stagger. The Arbok hissed and snapped its jaws at Frederick. He dodged the attack and hit it with another blast of water. David threw fireballs at the Arbok while Nick shot razor leaves. Spyro, instead of spitting fire, shot bolts of electricity. The constant attacking made the Arbok squeal and retreat back into the thick woods. The gang stopped attacking and waited.

Then a purple glob of goo flew out from the woods and landed in front of David. It bubbled and boiled like acid.

"Poison!" David exclaimed. He backed away from the poison and suddenly a purple tail wrapped around him. It was the Arbok, which had snuck around David and was constricting him from behind. "Agh… he's… squeezing me… to death!" The Arbok tightened its grip on David. Nick rushed forward and shot more razor leaves at the Arbok's face. They hit dead on, but the Arbok this time didn't looked phased. Frederick blasted the Arbok with water but it didn't do anything.

"Why aren't our attacks working anymore?" Spyro asked, panicking. The Arbok was tightening around David even further. David's face was turning red, then blue, then purple.

"It's not weak to any of our moves," Frederick said. "Poison is weak to Ground-type moves."

"I'll save you David!" Nick cried, rushing towards the Arbok. He jumped up and latched onto the Arbok's body. The purple cobra hissed and tried to shake him off. Nick eventually lost his grip and fell to the ground. When he got back up the Arbok's head darted forward and its mouth gaped open. It clamped its mouth over Nick and lifted him up. Nick's legs flailed around as his entire top half was inside the Arbok's mouth. Then the Arbok tilted its head back and began swallowing Nick whole. It wasn't long before Nick was just a lump traveling down to the Arbok's belly.

"Nick!" Frederick yelled, horrified to see his friend eaten alive. In anger he shot another jet of water at the Arbok. It did nothing and made the Arbok squeeze David tighter. David was losing his breath fast.

"Use the sword," Spyro said desperately. "It may be the only weapon that can kill that thing!" Frederick knew he was right, so he got out the remote and turned it into a sword. He charged towards the Arbok with anger and vengeance. The Arbok hissed and darted its head downwards trying to eat him. Frederick stepped out of the way and swung his sword. He cut a huge gash into the side of the Arbok's head. The cobra squealed in pain. Frederick ran up to the Arbok's body and shoved his sword into the chest. The Arbok made a low hissing sound, then its whole body slumped forward as it died. The tail that was wrapped around David loosened, allowing David to breath again.

Frederick pulled his sword out and wiped the blood off it. David took some deep breaths before stepping out of the coiled tail. Spyro came forward and looked at the dead Arbok.

"It ate Nick," he said. "We got to see if he's still alive." Frederick nodded, taking his sword and pushing it back into the Arbok's body. He cut a big slit in the body and removed his sword. Then he opened up the slit revealing the contents of the Arbok's stomach. Nick was in there, and looked at Frederick with joy.

"I'm free!" Nick cried joyfully, crawling out of the stomach. He thanked Frederick a hundred times before wiping all the stomach juice off himself. He was soaked in it and smelled pretty bad.

"Howe's not playing around anymore," Frederick remarked. "I was afraid that we weren't going to be able to kill the Arbok."

"I'm glad you did," David said. "Nick and I nearly died." After a brief moment the gang got back on the road and made their way to Pewter City.

In Pewter City it was bigger than the previous neighborhood they were in. There was a PokeMart, a PokeCenter, couple houses, and a Pokemon Gym. Not too many people were walking the streets this time of day. For the most part it seemed pretty normal. Frederick led the gang to the Pewter City Gym. That had to be where Howe was hiding. They went towards the door which slid open for them. They walked inside casually to see what was up.

For one thing the gym didn't look like it was supposed to. It was just a big empty room. Before any of them could say anything there was a click. David looked back at the door. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.

"Locked," he stated. "It's a trap." Then loud laughter rippled through the air. The gang all turned around and saw Howe sitting on a folding chair, Pepsi in hand. Duncan was standing next to him, waving his gun around and smiling coldly.

"Welcome fools," Howe began to speak. "I see you survived the snake I sent. No matter. What I have planned for you now is sure to get rid of you." Duncan stepped forward and holstered his gun. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Pokeball.

"If you guys are going to be Pokemon," Duncan said. "Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind a Pokemon battle."

"What Pokemon do you have?" Frederick asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew Duncan was someone not to be trusted.

"You'll see," he replied. "You unevolved Pokemon won't stand a chance against a legendary!" Duncan tossed the Pokeball. It hit the floor and opened up, a beam of light shooting out of it. The light materialized into a figure that was Duncan's Pokemon. It was tall and human shaped, but wore no clothes. It was mostly grey all over except for a purple belly and tail. Its eyes were glowing red.

"It's the legendary Mewtwo!" Frederick exclaimed. Mewtwo was a powerful legendary Pokemon. He was frantically wondering how in the world did Howe get a Mewtwo.

"Don't worry Frederick," David reassured. "It's four against one. We can take it down." Nick fist pumped the air in agreement. Spyro nodded his head vigorously. Frederick felt a sense of self-confidence then. With his friends at his side even the world couldn't overtake him.

"Mewtwo," Duncan ordered. "Attack!" Mewtwo rushed forward towards Frederick and the gang. The gang rushed forward to meet Mewtwo. Then the battle began.

Frederick started by sending a wave of water at Mewtwo. The wave hit Mewtwo and sent it backwards. David used his fire to heat the water up and make it boil. The boiling wave of water consumed Mewtwo until the water evened out. Mewtwo got back up with only minor burns. It lifted both arms and started channeling psychic energy. Then it released the energy in the form of a ray. The ray went towards Nick and hit him in the chest. Nick was thrown into the wall, looking dazed and confused.

Spyro rushed forward with great speed and curled up into a ball of electricity. He advanced on Mewtwo, hitting it square in the chest. Mewtwo flew back into the wall, sparks of electric coming out of it. Mewtwo got angered and put both of its hands together. A ball of blue energy started forming, an aura sphere. Then Mewtwo threw the aura sphere at the gang. It soared towards them and exploded at their feet. Frederick, Nick, and David were thrown into the air. They landed hard and were groaning in pain.

Wasting no time, Mewtwo rushed towards the fallen gang to finish them off. Before it could make it to them it was intercepted by Spyro. Spyro slammed into Mewtwo and sent a charge of a million volts into Mewtwo's body. Mewtwo fell and rolled to the floor. For a few seconds it was stunned by the electric shock, but eventually got back up. It gave the gang enough time to recover and get back on their feet. Nick rushed up to Mewtwo and stretched out his hand. Green energy began to flow out of Mewtwo into Nick's hand. He was stealing Mewtwo's energy.

Before Nick could steal any more energy Mewtwo grabbed Nick and threw him into the wall. Then Mewtwo held out its hand and psychic energy started to build up. Then Mewtwo released the energy in the form of a laser. It blasted Frederick and David and sent them flying into the wall. They hit the wall and slid down to the ground. By now their costumes were tattered and their wills broken. This battle seemed hopeless to them.

Then Frederick remembered the remote. He took it out of his back pocket and pulled up the keyboard quickly. He typed "evolve" into it and pressed the A button. Once again Frederick, David, Nick, and Spyro all began to glow. In a blinding flash of light they all changed at once. Each of their costumes had been upgraded, as well as their abilities. Frederick had evolved from Totodile to Feraligatr, with a new costume and more powerful abilities. David had evolved from Charmander to Charizard and now could fly. Nick had evolved from Snivy to Serperior and slithered instead of walked now. Spyro had evolved from Pikachu to Raichu and his electric abilities were through the roof.

"All together now!" Frederick commanded. He put his hand out, and David and Nick put their hands on his. Spyro put his paw on all of their hands. Then all four of them began to combine their powers together to create a huge energy blast. Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric combined and a huge ray of energy came out from their hands. The ray hit Mewtwo dead on and caused an explosion. The explosion made the gang stumble backwards from the sheer energy. When the light died Mewtwo was on the ground not moving. It had fainted.

"We did it!" Nick cried joyfully. He began dancing around as best as his snake tail would allow. David did some backflips in midair while flying. Frederick picked up Spyro in a tight hug and spun him around. The gang was so busy celebrating they didn't remember that Howe and Duncan were still in the room.

A gunshot rang out. The gang stopped celebrating and looked at Duncan. He had fired his pistol at the ceiling. Then he pointed it at the gang. "Just because you beat Mewtwo doesn't mean this is over," Duncan snarled. "I'm ending it right here right now!" Before Duncan could pull the trigger a sudden jet of water hit him in the face. He fell to the ground, soaked. Frederick laughed, being the one who had done it. Duncan growled and disappeared. Howe had also mysteriously vanished.

"Howe got away again," David sighed.

"Don't worry," Frederick assured. "We'll get him in the next game. I have the perfect idea where to go next." He took out the remote and typed something in. Then a portal opened up for them. The gang headed into the portal on to their next adventure.


	5. Chapter 5 - Call of Pepsi

**Chapter 5 - Call of Pepsi**

The portal opened up and spat out the gang. After getting out of the heap they stood up to see where they were. It was a big room filled with soldiers. United States Army Rangers. It seemed they were all talking before the portal opened and dropped off the gang. Now all the Rangers were staring at them. Frederick took the remote out of his back pocket. All their Pokemon costumes were gone and they were back in normal clothing. David looked to speak but didn't know what to say. Nick merely kept quiet. Spyro whimpered, seeing all of the Rangers' guns.

"It's the Game Master…" a soldier said, stunned. Then all the soldiers straightened out and saluted. For a moment Frederick smiled. He had never before felt this kind of respect before. He saluted the soldiers back.

"We want to know if you've seen Howe," Frederick began. "He's fat, short, and normally seen with a can of Pepsi."

"Yes, we've seen him," a soldier replied. "We don't know what he's doing here. So far the Russian attacks have been normal, but I believe he's planning something."

"What game is this?" Nick asked. Seeing all the Army Rangers made him think of several games.

"Call of Duty, sir," a soldier replied. "If you want to find Howe we suggest you come with us. We'll get you outfitted and armed." Frederick agreed and the gang went with some soldiers to the armory. They got outfitted in US Ranger uniforms with Kevlar vests and helmets. They even had a Kevlar vest for Spyro. After that they got to pick out their weapons. Frederick took his favorite rifle, the M16. David took an AUG, and Nick took an MP5. Once they were ready to go the soldiers began getting into Humvees. Frederick and the gang got into a Humvee and went with the division.

The ride to the battlefield was quiet. Nick and David sat in the back chatting, while Frederick sat in the passenger seat with Spyro in his lap. Spyro looked very uneasy and that made Frederick uncomfortable. He put his arms around the young dragon.

"What's the matter?" Frederick asked. Spyro nervously looked out the window, then back at Frederick.

"This was the last game I wanted to go to," he said. "I don't like war, I don't like guns, and I don't like anything bloody."

"I know you don't," Frederick said understandably. "But we're going to have to go through all sorts of games if we want to stop Howe." Spyro nodded, although he was shaking a little. He was afraid of being shot, or worse, being blown to bits. Frederick tried to ease his fear by hugging him tightly. They embraced each other for the moment while the Humvee entered the hot zone.

"RPG!" the Humvee driver screamed. Suddenly the front of the Humvee exploded and the whole vehicle reared up. It went back down hard in a plume of smoke. The driver was dead, but miraculously nobody else was hurt. Frederick let go of Spyro and grabbed his rifle from in between his legs.

"Get switched on guys!" Frederick ordered. "We'll leg it from here." All of them got out of the destroyed Humvee. They were now on the streets of Manhattan, New York. All around them were destroyed cars and debris. The skyscrapers and tall buildings were damaged beyond repair. Gunfire and explosions filled the air as well as smoke. United States Army Rangers were running down the streets toward the enemy. Frederick and the gang started running with them. Before that Frederick knelt down to speak to Spyro.

"Stay close," he said to the dragon. "Keep your head down. Scorch any Russian that gets too close." Spyro agreed, and they proceeded down the street. The Russians were holding the avenue at the end of the street. Soldiers were taking positions behind cars in order to take them out. The gang hid behind a car and started providing cover fire.

"Grenade out!" David yelled. He prepped a grenade and tossed it overhead towards the Russians. A few seconds later some yelling was heard, followed by an explosion. Frederick stayed behind the car picking off Russians with his rifle. Nick was firing aimlessly down the street. Spyro was laying down with his paws over his face, shuddering over the intense gunfire. After minutes went by of seemingly endless shooting the Russians started to leave the avenue. Then the Rangers left cover and pursued them.

"Let's go!" Frederick yelled. He hauled Spyro to his feet and ran down towards the avenue. The gang followed behind him. The Russians were retreating to a Capital One Bank down the avenue. The Rangers got to the bank and tried to go inside. But suddenly a long burst of gunfire took down half the Rangers standing in front of the bank. Frederick stopped running and backed up. There were too many Russians. They started coming out of the bank and looking towards the gang.

"This way!" David yelled, running towards an alleyway. They all ran into the alleyway before the Russians could shoot them down. The alleyway was the typical urban alley, with a dumpster and garbage cans. Frederick peered around the building to make sure no Russians followed them.

"All clear," Frederick said. They were about to proceed down the alley when they saw a figure standing a few feet away. It was Duncan! He was dressed in a Russian military uniform and had his signature Colt 45 caliber pistol in hand. He was smiling evilly and raised his pistol at the gang. David growled and lifted his gun to shoot him, but Frederick stepped in front of him.

"I'll handle this," he said and drew his own pistol. Frederick and Duncan stood face to face, pointing their guns at each other. They did this for about five minutes. One was just waiting for the other to pull the trigger. The pressure was building up as one was afraid to shoot first. Finally a gunshot went off and a bullet hit Duncan in the shoulder. He staggered backwards and pulled his trigger, shooting Frederick in the arm.

"Ah, fuck!" Frederick screamed, dropping his pistol. He almost fell over, holding his arm in agony.

"Jesus Christ!" Duncan sweared, gripping his bloody shoulder. "For fuck's sake…" The two went on, cursing and yelling at their wounds. Finally Duncan turned and vanished like he always does. Frederick fell back into the wall and slid down into a sitting position. Spyro, filled with intense worry, ran up to him.

"Are you okay?!" he asked, gandering at Frederick's wound. The bullet had entered and exited Frederick's upper arm. David cut Frederick's sleeve off so they could tend the wound. That's when they realized none of them had medical supplies.

"I'm fine Spyro," Frederick said, caressing the dragon's cheek. He tried to remain positive but it was clear he was in a lot of pain. Nick thought about something and reached into one of Frederick's pockets. He took out the Master Remote.

"W-What are you doing?" Frederick asked with concern. Nick put the remote in Frederick's other hand.

"If you're the Game Master then you should be able to use the remote to heal yourself," Nick explained. David looked at Nick with total shock.

"That's the smartest thing you've said this whole time!" David exclaimed. Nick sighed and play-punched David in the shoulder. Frederick thought about it for a moment. I did kind of make sense. He could change outfits and abilities with the remote, so why wouldn't he be able to heal himself? Frederick used his good hand to bring up the keyboard hologram and typed in "heal." Then he pressed the A button.

At that moment the remote began to glow green. Then green liquid, almost like goo, started dispensing out of the remote. The goo traveled up Frederick's arm to his wound. Everybody watched in amazement as the goo started to solidify in the bullet hole, turning into flesh and skin. When the rest of the goo faded Frederick's arm was completely healed. There even was no scar. Frederick had a look of absolute marvel on his face. All the other gang members looked amazed too. None of them ever knew something like that was possible.

"Why did you shoot him in the shoulder?" David asked when Frederick got up. Frederick looked at him in a strange way.

"I never shot him," Frederick said, showing him his pistol. All twelve bullets were still in the clip. David looked really confused at that point.

"Then… who the hell shot him…?" David stammered, looking around. Nick shrugged. Spyro couldn't even hold a gun. Then they turned around toward the avenue. On top of a building was a figure. The figure was masked and had a sniper rifle in its hands. At first the gang thought they were all screwed. The sniper had the potential to take all of them out. But strangely enough the sniper lifted his rifle up away from the gang. Then he walked away from the edge of the roof.

The sniper went down to ground floor and emerged from the building. Then he removed his mask. There was no mistaking the sniper's height, or his crew cut.

"Jarrod!" Nick cried. He ran forward and embraced Jarrod. Jarrod had a look of disgust on his face.

"Dude, get the fuck off me…" Jarrod grumbled, pushing Nick off. David and Frederick stepped forward and shook hands with Jarrod. Jarrod merely waved at Spyro, not sure what to think of him. This made Spyro raised an eyebrow.

"I always knew Jarrod would make a good sniper," David laughed. "All those times we've played Halo together."

"You shot Duncan in the shoulder," Frederick pointed out. "Why didn't you kill him?" Jarrod looked uneasy.

"From my angle you were standing in the way," Jarrod explained. "I never had a clear shot."

"Well we're glad to have you join the party," Nick said joyfully. Frederick took out the Master Remote. He pulled up the keyboard and typed in "ammo." Suddenly everyone's guns were fully loaded and their spare magazines replenished. After a brief moment they set off down the avenue towards their next objective. They needed to regroup with what Rangers were left.

The city of Manhattan had gotten strangely quiet. There was the occasional burst of distant gunfire, but no real noise in the area. As the gang walked down the avenue they got a strange sense that they were walking into an ambush. There were many abandoned buildings that would be perfect for a squad of Russians to jump out of. Frederick kept his eyes on the buildings. Spyro looked nervous the entire way. David, Nick, and Jarrod stayed close together, watching each other's back.

Suddenly a shot rang out. Nick yelped and fell to the ground. Blood was pouring out of his left leg. Across the avenue they saw a group of Russians that had seen the gang before the gang saw them.

"Oh shit!" David grumbled loudly, hauling Nick up and dragging him behind a car. Jarrod got behind another car and started firing. Frederick and Spyro found a bus to hide behind. More Russians were coming down the avenue in large numbers. David propped his AUG on top of the car and began firing away. Nick laid down with his back to the car tire. His leg was bleeding badly. Frederick could easily heal the wound, but he was busy keeping the Russians at bay.

All this time while the human teenagers were fighting, Spyro was cowering. He just couldn't get over his fear of war and weapons. The loud thunder-like sound a gun made every time it fired scared the hell out of him. The explosion of grenades and the roar of artillery was all too much for him. But then he began to think. He thought about the gang. They were just teenagers and were fighting grown men with guns. It had to be really scary and challenging for them. Spyro also thought about Frederick. Frederick had saved his life twice already. He liked Frederick as a friend and he knew Frederick liked him too.

Suddenly Spyro rushed from behind the bus towards the Russians. "Smotri, eto drakon!" a Russian yelled. They pointed their guns at Spyro and were about to fire away. Time seemed to slow down for Spyro. In that moment he felt an inferno building up in the pit of his throat. And when he opened his mouth he let it loose.

A huge column of flame burst from Spyro's maw and out towards the attacking Russian soldiers. For a moment all that was seen was fire. Then when the fire dampened down all that was left were the flaming corpses of Russian soldiers. A few Russians were still alive, running around on fire, screaming. Soon they fell to the ground dead. Frederick and the others slowly ventured out of cover. They all looked at Spyro, shocked and amazed. Frederick was the first to run to him. He knelt down besides Spyro.

"You… you did it," Frederick stammered. "You overcame your fear and killed them all!" Spyro blushed a little.

"I guess I did," he admitted.

"What made you go out there?" David asked. "Surely the Russians were going to shoot you."

"Well," Spyro began. "I thought about you guys. You're all my friends, even though I don't really know most of you well. I didn't want to be the only one not helping. I may be small, but I'm definitely not worthless."

"That's a good attitude!" Nick cheered.

"It's about time you did something…" Jarrod grumbled.

"Jarrod," Frederick scolded. "Don't be an asshole." He rubbed Spyro's neck affectionately. Spyro smiled and replied by nuzzling Frederick's arm. Frederick stood back up and reloaded his rifle.

"We have to keep moving," Frederick ordered. "More Russians may be on their way." The gang agreed and started moving along with Frederick. They went down the avenue further until they came to a large building. It was probably the tallest skyscraper in the entire city. The Empire State Building. It hadn't been damaged too bad by the war, but from ground level it looked pretty torn up. Frederick led the gang into the building.

The elevators were out, so they had to take the stairs. It was a long way up to the top of the building. But Frederick was certain Howe would be waiting for them up there. So once they were at the top they were all panting and breathing heavily. Frederick opened the door to the lookout and they all went outside.

Howe and Duncan were both standing by the railing. Howe was dressed like a Russian general, while Duncan was still in his Russian soldier uniform. It looked like his shoulder was completely healed. Frederick wondered how that could be possible.

"You're all just in time," Howe chuckled. "I'm going to mount you four boys' heads on my wall, and that dragon's scales will make a fine suit of armor." The gang readied their guns. Frederick put his hand up, telling them not to shoot yet.

"Why are you doing this?" Frederick asked Howe. "Why did you bring us all here. I mean, this is a fun universe, but it isn't fun when you're constantly trying to kill us."

"Don't you understand Frederick?" Howe replied with certainty. "You've annoyed the hell out of me every class period with your stupid friends. Now I have the power to take over an entire universe! But without that Master Remote my power is undermined. So I suggest you hand it over." Frederick looked at him full of hatred. He wanted shoot Howe dead right there. Howe thought he could just take away his power as Game Master.

"Kill him," Frederick muttered to his friends. "Kill them both!" David, Nick, and Jarrod lifted their guns and started shooting. Spyro blew his flaming breath at them. Howe suddenly put up a green force field that deflected the bullets and fire. When they stopped Howe and Duncan were unharmed. They laughed heartily and evilly.

"We'll see you in the next game," Howe snarled, and suddenly he and Duncan disappeared. Frederick sighed and sat down.

"This is getting out of hand," Frederick stated. "I'm sure we're all tired of risking our lives because of some fatass."

"You're right," Jarrod agreed. "That lardass has been causing trouble the whole time I was here. I'm glad you guys came and found me."

"The only one missing now is Roger," David said. "Maybe we'll find him in the next game." Frederick took out the remote and typed in another game. A portal opened just in front of them. Spyro and Nick went in first. Then David and Jarrod. Finally Frederick hauled himself up and jumped into the portal.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Pepsi Scrolls

**Chapter 6 - The Pepsi Scrolls**

The gang was thrown out of the portal. After getting up the portal closed and they looked around. They were in a little village out by the woods. There were wood and stone houses as well as a blacksmith and a trade shop. On the left side of the village was a long river flowing west. People dressed in medieval clothing walked around going about their day. It was a peaceful little village. Frederick immediately recognized where he and the gang were. This was the town of Riverwood, in the province of Skyrim. He had picked the game but he didn't know what town they'd end up in.

"We're in Skyrim!" David cried cheerfully. David was a big fan of Skyrim, as well as Frederick.

"Aren't there dragons in this game?" Spyro asked. It was clear he didn't know much about Skyrim.

"Yes, but they aren't nice like they are in your game," Frederick explained. "Come, let us talk to someone." They walked to the blacksmith shop. A man in a blacksmith's apron was sharpening a sword. He looked up at the gang and for some reason didn't look surprised.

"What can I do for you?" the blacksmith asked. He stopped sharpening the sword long enough for a response.

"We're looking for somebody fat," David jumped right in. "Really fat. Likes to drink Pe- I mean… mead." The blacksmith looked up, probably thinking about it.

"I recently heard about a takeover of Whiterun," the blacksmith explained. "A really obese man dethroned the Jarl and has control of the city. He also has the backing of the Stormcloaks. The Imperial Legion is assembling to take the city back. You should gear up and go help them."

"Thank you," Frederick said. He and the gang walked back onto the main road. Frederick took the Master Remote out of his pocket.

"What's the plan?" Jarrod asked impatiently. Frederick began to type some things into the remote keyboard. Suddenly everyone went through a transformation. Now all of them were wearing heavy Imperial Armor, with Imperial swords and shields. Even Spyro had on a specially-made suit of armor. Frederick had on an Imperial Officer's helmet instead of a normal soldier's one.

"We're joining the Imperial Legion," Frederick explained. "We are going to retake the city of Whiterun and drag Howe out from the rubble to face justice." Jarrod and David nodded in agreement. Nick wasn't paying attention, he was too busy playing with his sword. Spyro shook himself in his heavy armor. Frederick pulled up a map of Skyrim on the remote. He pointed to the Imperial Legion camp outside of Whiterun.

"That's where we must head to," he said. "We're going to take this road east and go around Whiterun. Keep on the lookout for Stormcloaks."

"Wait, wait!" Jarrod suddenly chimed in. "None of us have ever fought with a sword. How are we going to defend ourselves?"

"Practice on the way to the camp," Frederick instructed. "We can't waste any time. The Legion will be attacking soon and we need to be there." They eventually all agreed to Frederick's plan and set off to the camp.

Frederick and the gang clanked in their armor as they walked down the road towards the camp. David and Jarrod were practicing basic sword swings and parries. Nick was walking quietly, taking in the scenery. He had never seen a game like Skyrim before. Everything was so detailed and clear. Frederick and Spyro walked alongside each other, talking about various things. Finally after a certain time they had walked past Whiterun and into a vast plains. In the distance they could see a large stone tower.

"That's the Western Watchtower," Frederick said and pointed. "Be careful as we pass by. Dragons are known to hang around watchtowers." The gang approached the watchtower cautiously. Most of the tower was laying on the ground in rubble, but mostly the rest of it was in tact. They stood around the tower for a few minutes, expecting something to jump out at them. As if on cue a distant roar was heard approaching from the south. They alertly looked up and saw a huge green dragon flying towards them. The dragon was mostly green and had a spaded tail. Its eyes were glowing red, so they knew who sent it.

"Dragon!" Jarrod yelled drawing his sword.

"Everyone find cover!" Frederick ordered. David and Nick ran behind a large pile of rubble. Jarrod ran into the watchtower. Frederick followed Jarrod, but noticed Spyro wasn't moving. He was standing out in the open staring at the dragon. The dragon descended and started hovering before Spyro.

"Hey!" Spyro yelled. "I'm Spyro! I'm one of you!"

"Spyro!" Frederick screamed. "You can't reason with it! It's been sent by Howe!" Spyro's eyes went wide and he started running for his life. He had gotten out of the way just as the dragon spewed fire everywhere. Spyro reached the watchtower with Jarrod and Frederick in it. Everyone watched the dragon from their cover. The dragon landed and roared, waiting for them to come out. Frederick took out the remote and turned it into a sword. After waiting a few seconds he charged out from the watchtower into the open.

"For Sovngarde!" he cried. The dragon roared and blew a column of flames at him. Frederick dodged the fire and ran right up to the dragon. Before he could sink his sword into the dragon's scales the dragon shoved Frederick back with one of its wings. Frederick went tumbling backwards into the grass. Then David and Jarrod rushed out bravely to defend Frederick. The dragon was heading towards him to finish him off. Frederick was just getting back on his feet when he noticed the dragon hovering over him. The dragon hissed and opened its maw, ready to chomp on him. Then it growled in pain and turned its head.

Jarrod had stabbed the dragon in the back leg. Before he could pull his sword free he was sent flying by one swipe of the dragon's tail. Then Nick and David charged forward and sunk their swords into the dragon's body. The dragon roared and started thrashing about. One of its wings slapped David in the face and knocked him out. Nick rolled and ducked for cover. Jarrod rushed to David's aid, dragging his unconscious body to safety. Frederick had recovered by then and was still facing down the dragon. The dragon, unable to remove the swords stuck in it, turned its attention back to Frederick.

The dragon growled. It licked its lips as it eyed Frederick hungrily. Frederick knew what was about to happen next. He readied his sword and valiantly stood there. The dragon opened its mouth really wide and plunged downwards at Frederick. It managed to pick up Frederick in its mouth. Frederick, now sitting on the dragon's tongue, stuck the tip of his sword into the roof of the dragon's mouth. The dragon suddenly paused. It whimpered a bit in pain. Now Frederick was stuck in the dragon's mouth, and the dragon was stuck with its mouth open. If the dragon tried to chomp Frederick, the sword would go right through its head.

"Ow, ow!" The dragon suddenly cried. Frederick raised an eyebrow. He had forgotten that the dragons could speak in Skyrim.

"What is it?" Frederick asked. He wasn't too fond of sitting inside a dragon's maw. The saliva was rusting his armor and its breath was absolutely foul.

"If you try to stab me, I'll crush you with my teeth," the dragon warned. Its voice was muffled since Frederick was sitting on its tongue. Frederick sighed, keeping his sword tip on the roof of the dragon's mouth.

"Frederick, hold on!" David yelled. "We'll get you out of there!" Before they could come close the dragon growled.

"Come any closer," the dragon said. "And your friend gets eaten." David, Nick, and Jarrod all backed away. They couldn't afford to lose Frederick. At that moment Frederick began to think. Here he was, inside a dragon's mouth with only a sword keeping its sharp fangs from coming down on him. The dragon may have been sent by Howe, but there had to be a way to reason with it.

"It seems we're in a bit of a stalemate," Frederick remarked. The saliva was soaking through his pants and made him feel uncomfortable.

"What do you suggest?" the dragon asked.

"Let me out of your mouth and we'll talk face to face. This isn't the best position to be talking to you." Frederick had been constantly staring down the dragon's throat, fearing he would end up going down there in pieces.

"Alright," the dragon finally agreed. It lowered its head and pushed Frederick out with its tongue. Frederick was back on the ground again. He smelled like dragon breath, which was pretty bad. He also noticed that the dragon's eyes were no longer red. Had he somehow broken the spell Howe put on this dragon?

"What is your name?" Frederick asked. The dragon fixed its jaw from being open so wide.

"Wahlkrent," the dragon said proudly. "And you all are…?" Frederick introduced the rest of the gang. Wahlkrent was most pleased to meet Spyro, one of his own kind from another video game. He explained how he was being controlled by Howe, but the effects wore off when the stalemate happened. Other than that a dragon from Skyrim would have no reason to attack the Game Master.

"You are the ruler of this universe," Wahlkrent explained to Frederick. "No opponents should attack you. However, with this Howe here, he is controlling all the enemies you face."

"Howe has taken the city of Whiterun," Jarrod said. "Is there a chance you can help us?" Wahlkrent shook his head.

"I cannot," he said. "For if a dragon is seen attacking a city, it will be hunted down. Usually by the Dragonborn, but he has gone missing since Howe's takeover." Frederick then remembered how he never saw Mario or Luigi in Super Mario, and not seeing Ash or Brock in Pokemon. What was Howe doing with all the main protagonists?

"We thank you for reasoning with us Wahlkrent," Frederick said.

"I apologize for trying to eat you Game Master," Wahlkrent replied. "Good luck on your conquest of Whiterun." Wahlkrent took to the skies and flew off. Spyro watched him fly away and sighed.

"I didn't know the dragons here were that smart," Spyro acknowledged.

"You learn something new every day," David reminisced. "Now, let's get moving." The gang packed up and headed to the Imperial camp.

When they reached the camp it seemed the Legion was almost ready to move out. Soldiers were having their swords sharpened and armor adjusted. Fresh meat was cooking over the fire on a spit. Tents were pitched everywhere and the smell of dignity and fear filled the air. These were battle-hardened men who were going to either live or die just to see the Stormcloaks lose. Frederick and the gang joined the crowd and eventually found the man in charge. He was an Imperial man wearing heavy Imperial armor and had an Officer's helmet. Frederick approached the man and bowed.

"I am the Game Master," Frederick announced, showing his sword. "I have come to help you retake the city of Whiterun."

"I am Legate Quentin Cipius," the man said. He shook Frederick's hand. "We are honored to have you and your crew accompany us." Cipius turned to his men and cleared his throat. "Listen up men, and listen well. The Game Master and his company have joined us. They will assist us in defeating the Stormcloaks and restoring Imperial control to Whiterun. With such a powerful ally there's no way we can fail. Now gear up and get ready to move out!" The soldiers cheered with enthusiasm.

Before the battle began the gang took some time to ready themselves. Jarrod traded his sword in for a bow and arrows. David traded in his sword for a warhammer. Nick kept with his sword as did Frederick. Spyro received a spell from a mage that allowed him to breath ice. Once everyone was ready the army of Legion soldiers began to march towards Whiterun.

Whiterun was already loaded with Stormcloak soldiers. They guarded the drawbridge and main gate to Whiterun. The Imperial army marched down the road towards the city gate. That's when arrows started flying. A few Imperials were taken down by arrows but the rest kept marching. Once they were in range the Imperials drew swords and bows. They charged the main gate and fired arrows back at the Stormcloaks.

"All right, let's go!" Frederick yelled and charged into battle with full valor. David and Nick were right behind him. Jarrod stayed with the Imperial archers. Spyro flew up on top of the city wall and fired fire and ice balls at the Stormcloaks.

Frederick ran up to the first Stormcloak he saw. The Stormcloak came at him with his sword. The Stormcloak swung his sword and was blocked by Frederick. Frederick stepped to the side, doing a disarming maneuver. The Stormcloak's sword flew out of his hand. Then Frederick shoved his sword through the Stormcloaks chest. He pulled his sword out of the dead body and went after the next Stormcloak.

David smashed Stormcloaks skulls and bashed their faces in. He swung his hammer like a pro, taking on multiple Stormcloaks at once. Nick stayed close to some Legion soldiers. He fought well but was still afraid of getting hurt. Jarrod, with his skilled marksmanship, shot down every Stormcloak archer he saw. Spyro was torching and freezing the Stormcloaks with ease. The battle was going in their favor.

Just like that things went wrong. Thunk! Pain shot through Spyro's leg. He had been shot in the front leg with an arrow. He staggered backwards and fell off the wall. Luckily Jarrod spotted him and ran to his aid.

"I got you! I got you!" Jarrod yelled assuringly. He stood under Spyro with his arms up high. Spyro fell down and on top of Jarrod, both hitting the ground. Jarrod had cushioned Spyro's fall, but he was still in a lot of pain. Jarrod got up and knelt down to treat Spyro's wound.

Meanwhile Frederick and the others broke through the Stormcloak defenses and reached the city gate. They burst into the city of Whiterun. The streets were empty except for the Stormcloaks running down to intercept the Legion. The two factions clashed in a blur of swords, axes, and hammers. The Legion killed all the Stormcloaks and headed further into the city. Frederick, David, and Nick broke off from the Legion and headed for Dragonsreach, the palace. They ran up the stairs towards the doors.

Bursting through the doors the gang entered Dragonsreach. They walked down the hall towards the throne. Howe was sitting on the throne with a can of Pepsi in hand. Duncan was next to him, dressed like a Stormcloak and holding a sword. Both smiled evilly as the gang approached.

"You made it!" Howe said sarcastically. "Glad you're here, I was just going to remodel this palace for myself. I'm not too fond of these horse emblems."

"Shut up, asshole," Frederick sneered. "We've got you cornered now."

"So you think," Howe replied. "Duncan, get them!" Duncan charged forward and swung his sword at the gang. Frederick blocked the strike and the battle began.

Frederick went toe to toe with Duncan. Both engaged in a vicious sword battle that went beyond normal fighting standards. Frederick deflected Duncan's attacks with ease. Duncan hit as hard as he could. Both seemed to be equally matched. But it was a three on one. David came from behind Duncan and swung his hammer. Duncan spun around and kicked David in the face. David went tumbling to the ground. Nick caught Duncan off guard and sliced a big gash in Duncan's sword arm. Duncan screamed and dropped his sword, clutching his wounded arm. Frederick raised his sword for the kill. Then Duncan reached up and grabbed Frederick's wrist. The two fought for control. Then Frederick kicked Duncan backwards.

Before Frederick could kill him Duncan vanished. Howe had disappeared too. They weren't dead, but that meant Frederick and the gang foiled their plan again. Jarrod and Spyro came into the palace. Spyro was walking but had bandages wrapped around his leg.

"I feel we are on the right path," Frederick said to the gang. "Today I learned that no matter how many times Howe escapes we always win every battle with him. Howe isn't really as tough as he looks. He has that black remote that allows him to do almost the same things I can. Our priority is to get that remote away from him and destroy it. There can only be one Master Remote. There can only be one Game Master."

"You are that Game Master," David said solemnly. "We trust that you will put aside all nonsense for the betterment of the company. If you want us to focus on defeating Howe, then we are behind you."

"I agree," Spyro chimed in. "I left my home to pursue Howe and follow the ones I trust. Now it is clear to me that I can trust all of you and I hope that you will help me save my world from this shadow of evil."

"So it is spoken," Jarrod agreed. "Let's get to the next game." Frederick had already opened a portal to the next game. All of them stepped in onto their next adventure.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pepsi's Creed

**Chapter 7 - Pepsi's Creed**

The portal opened and the gang jumped out. They were in a desert-like setting with big mountains in the distance and cliffs all around. People dressed in robes walked the poorly paved roads leading to a big walled city. Knights with red crosses on their chest plates guarded the entrance to the city. It was a medieval-looking city with buildings and houses made from sandstone. It took some time before the gang except Frederick knew which game they were in.

"Assassin's Creed?" David asked. "Was there a reason behind this?" Frederick nodded.

"Of course," he said. "It's such a complex and intricate game. Why wouldn't I want to experience what it means to be an assassin?" He started typing things into the remote.

"But we're not here for fun," Jarrod reminded. "We're here to defeat Howe."

"Yeah, what Jarrod said," Nick agreed.

"Guys," Frederick stopped them. "I'm the Game Master. I choose where we go." Then in a flash of light everyone transformed. Now everyone was dressed in white robes with brown belts and beaked hoods. They were armed with a knife in their gauntlet, a sword, and some throwing knives. Spyro had no weapons, but still was dressed in an assassin's robes.

"Aw, cool!" Nick rejoiced. He drew his sword and started swinging it around like a fool. He had already been to a game with swords but he was still compelled to play with it. David folded his hands pretending to blend like the assassins did. Jarrod merely smiled at his new attire.

"So what's the plan?" Spyro asked. Frederick couldn't help but smile when he saw Spyro. Out of all the costumes he got Spyro to wear, perhaps the assassin costume was the cutest on him. Then Frederick came back to his senses.

"I, uh… yeah," Frederick stammered. "So, assassin's can't travel in big groups. We're going to split up. Spyro is going with me, while you three go separate ways. We'll meet back at the church in one hour."

"Got it," Jarrod agreed. Everyone else was okay with the plan too. They split up and headed for the city. Frederick and Spyro walked towards the city entrance and surveyed it. Two Templar Knights were guarding the front gate. He knew well enough they wouldn't let anyone suspicious through. Then Frederick turned his attention to a group of scholars. They were dressed in white robes and walked with their hands folded. Maybe Frederick could blend in with them.

Frederick and Spyro dove into the center of the scholars. He folded his hands and put his head down. Spyro stayed low as to not be noticed. The scholars walked towards the front gate. Frederick took a deep breath. The scholars walked past the Templar without any trouble. Frederick sighed. He parted from the scholars once inside the city.

The city was bustling with people and Templar. People walked around carrying things on their heads. Men chatted in the streets and women followed their husbands. Templar stood by the city walls or by important buildings. It was the busy city of Damascus no doubt. Just like it looked in the video game Assassin's Creed. Frederick got a lot of nostalgia from seeing this city. He loved Assassin's Creed and thought it was a phenomenal game. But of course, he hadn't picked his favorite game to go to yet. No, he would leave that game for last.

Spyro nudged Frederick's hip. "So," he whispered. "What are we doing?" Frederick looked down at him and thought for a moment.

"Well, we need to find Howe," Frederick explained. Good luck must have been on Frederick's side, because immediately something caught his attention. A crowd was gathered in the middle of a big street. Somebody was speaking to them in a loud and familiar voice. Frederick went towards the crowd and pushed through some of the people. He got a glimpse of the person talking and gasped.

It was Howe all right. He was dressed in expensive-looking robes and sandals. This time he had no Pepsi since the people of this world would be bewildered by a soft drink. Frederick stood among the crowd to listen to what he was saying.

"A new day is approaching for you all!" Howe spoke. "A day where money and food will be plentiful. Nobody will go hungry or have no place to stay. We will all be swimming in riches!" The people cheered. Frederick shook his head. Howe was so full of bullshit. But now Frederick saw his chance. He extended the dagger in his gauntlet. Pushing two people out of the way Frederick leaped into the air with his blade pointed at Howe. Howe's eyes went wide and he gasped. Then Frederick was grabbed mid air and thrown to the ground. A Templar was now standing over him, sword drawn.

"Assassin!" The Templar yelled. The people began to flee. Frederick got on his feet and drew his sword. He and the Templar circled around, waiting for one to strike first. The Templar yelled and charged forward swinging his sword. Frederick blocked the attack and stepped to the side swiftly. He grabbed the Templar by the back and shoved his sword through his stomach. The Templar groaned and went limp. Frederick pulled his sword out, letting the body drop to the floor. Then Frederick heard voices yelling and coming closer. Four Templar turned the corner and saw him.

"There's the assassin!" one yelled. They all started running towards Frederick. Frederick sheathed his sword and started running down the street. He looked for an exit strategy as quick as he could. Assassins were supposed to be able to climb buildings. Frederick was never into parkour. But in a moment like this he had to try. He ran towards a small building and jumped onto the wall. He grabbed the top of a window and was able to hold on. Then he began to pull himself up. Surprisingly he did this very quickly. For some reason climbing just came naturally to him. It must have been him being Game Master or something. Frederick reached the roof and began running across the rooftops. That's when he remembered Spyro. The little dragon wasn't by his side. He frantically looked around for him.

"Spyro?!" Frederick called. "Spyro? SPYRO?!" The Templar started slowly but surely climbing the building. Frederick saw one of their heads pop up the top of the building.

Before the Templar could pull himself up a fireball hit him in the head and he was knocked down. Frederick looked to the left and saw Spyro on the rooftop as well.

"Run!" Spyro yelled. Frederick ran across the roofs with Spyro. The rest of the Templar scaled the roof and were pursuing him. As they ran Frederick tried to remember what assassins did in the game to hide from pursuers. On one of the roofs had a rooftop garden on it. It was a big square enclosure with sheets closing off the inside. Frederick ran for the garden. He jumped inside along with Spyro. They sat inside there for a moment, listening to the outside world. The Templar had lost sight of Frederick and Spyro. They looked around for a few minutes before giving up the chase. Frederick peered out the garden to see nobody was chasing them anymore.

"That was close," Frederick sighed. He stepped back out into the open. There was a ladder nearby providing a way down the building. Frederick climbed down and was back on the street. Spyro glided down to the ground to join Frederick. Both started heading down the street again. That's when Frederick remembered the church. He was supposed to meet the rest of the gang there.

"The church," Frederick told Spyro. "Let's go to the church. The gang should be there waiting for us."

"Sounds like a plan," Spyro replied. The two went down the streets until they came to a big building with pointed towers and crosses. Stained glass windows and big double doors. It was the church. Standing by the church were David, Nick, and Jarrod. They had their heads down and hands folded; to blend in with the crowd. Frederick approached them anonymously and spoke to them.

"I encountered Howe," Frederick said. "He was trying to brainwash the people." David and the others didn't look surprised.

"Did you assassinate him?" Jarrod asked impatiently.

"No," Frederick admitted. "There were too many Templar. However, I have a feeling I know where Howe is hiding out."

"Let me guess," David spoke. "The castle?" Frederick nodded. All the high-ranking Templar officials hung out in the castle. Howe was most likely one of them. And you couldn't forget about Duncan either.

"We're going together this time, but don't draw any attention to yourselves," Frederick warned. "Once we get inside the castle we'll split up and look for Howe." The next few minutes were followed by silence as the gang thought about the plan. Never before did they come to the realization that they were just kids, and that they shouldn't be doing this. Nevertheless, it was their duty to stop Howe and return the video game universe to normal. Strangely though they never had a moment of, "Holy shit, we're in a video game world." For some reason they felt like it was their destiny to be there. It was their destiny to fight Howe and free the people and creatures of the video game realm.

The gang approached the gate to the city castle. The gate was closed and the walls looked too tall to climb. Frederick turned his sword back into a remote. He would have to use his powers to enter that caste.

"How are we going to get in?" Jarrod asked. Frederick didn't reply. Instead he typed something into the remote. Then the remote began to transform. It morphed into a short metal rod with a grip and buttons on it. Frederick pressed a button and a long green beam emitted from the rod. It was a lightsaber.

"That doesn't belong in this game," Nick pointed out. Frederick shrugged as he began to cut the bars of the gate with the saber.

"If we're going to reach Howe," Frederick began. "Rules are going to have to be broken." He cut a huge hole in the gate that was easy to pass through. The gang of assassins went through the hole into the castle interior. Immediately a swarm of Templar surrounded them, swords drawn. Frederick drew his sword and so did the others. Then in the blink of an eye the two sides clashed.

Frederick blocked each strike with ease and shoved his sword through the stomach of a Templar. He kicked the body off his sword and combatted the next Templar. David and Nick stayed close, holding off the Templar going after Jarrod and Frederick. Jarrod was ducking and diving under attacks and striking wherever he could. Spyro stayed on the other side of the crew, flaming any other Templar that showed up.

Finally the gang broke on through and dispatched all the Templar. There were bound to be more on their way, so they rushed inside the castle. Inside the castle there were dark hallways only lit by candles on the walls. A few Templar patrolled the hallways unaware of what had happened outside. Frederick led the way through the castle, assassinating any Templar that were in their way. They were almost to the main chamber. A big set of doors was the entrance to perhaps where Howe was staked out. Frederick pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

It was a big room with few furniture and decor. The windows were the only source of light in this large room. The red carpet ended in this room and the rest of the floor was tile. In the center of the room was Howe in his fancy garbs. He was talking to Duncan and another kid, one Frederick and the others recognized. It was Jack, Duncan's best friend from high school. Duncan and Jack were both dressed as Templar and had swords at their belts. They turned their heads and looked at the gang when the doors opened. Howe had his same evil smile on his face, as did Duncan and Jack.

"So the assassins finally caught up to me," Howe remarked. He laughed a hearty laugh. "What are you going to do now, assassinate me?"

"I'm sending your fat ass straight to hell…" Jarrod began and started towards Howe, but David held him back.

"You know why we're here," Frederick said. "So why bother even asking? You've been running from us every time, making Duncan do your dirty work. Now you've got a new recruit. What's he going to do that Duncan couldn't do?" Duncan and Jack both responded by drawing their swords. Spyro growled, smoke coming out his nostrils. David, Nick, and Jarrod reached for their swords.

"Do you really think you can take us?" David asked mockingly. "It's five against three." Howe didn't answer. Instead he backed away and nodded to Duncan and Jack.

"Five against two," Nick corrected.

"It doesn't matter," Frederick put in. "Let's kill these guys and be done with it." Frederick unsheathed his own sword, his gleaming golden blade. It alone was enough to strike fear in the hearts and souls of any video game character. It was the weapon of the champion of the video game universe.

"So be it," Duncan declared. He and Jack charged forth with their swords at the ready. Frederick and the gang charged forth as well full of valor. The battle began.

Frederick started off with a draw slash at Duncan neck. Duncan blocked the attack fiercely, which made Frederick stagger. Before Duncan could get another attack in Frederick came back with an uppercut. The blow knocked Duncan's sword out of his hand. Frederick swung his sword at Duncan again. Duncan dodged and rolled over to where his sword was lying. He quickly picked it up and got back on his feet. Their fight continued.

David, Nick, and Jarrod took on Jack all at once. They were surprised at how skilled Jack was at swordplay. Jack was holding them all back just by himself. David came in with a downward strike, which Jack parried and then smacked David in the face with the hilt of his sword. Jarrod came from behind with a sideways slash. Jack ducked under it and tripped Jarrod, who fell over. Nick stepped over Jarrod in his defense, stabbing at Jack's chest. Jack twirled his sword around Nick's, and Nick's sword flung out of his hands. Nick jumped out of the way before Jack could attempt to kill him.

While this was all happening Howe was trying to make his escape. He was punching letters into the keyboard hovering over his black remote. Suddenly the black remote flew out of his hands. It skittered to the floor and slid into the corner. Howe looked down with a surprised and irritated look. Spyro had whipped the remote out of Howe's hands with his tail.

"You ignorant purple runt!" Howe spat, drawing a sword from his robes. Spyro stood his ground, ready to fight. He could have been helping the others. But he wanted to go after the big prize. Before Howe could swing at him Spyro jumped on top of him, gripping his claws into Howe's robes. Howe shouted and clapped his hands around Spyro's neck, trying to shove him off. But Spyro's grip was firm. He snapped his jaws full of sharp teeth in Howe's face. Howe shrieked in terror and staggered all around with Spyro latched to his chest.

Frederick blocked another of Duncan's attacks. They circled around, swords pointing at each other, just like in the real Assassin's Creed game. Duncan jumped from the circular motion to attack. Frederick parried the attack and pushed Duncan back. On the other side of the room Jack was handling David, Nick, and Jarrod with ease. None of them could get a successful attack on him. Jack almost fought better than Duncan. The question was where did they learn to swordfight so skillfully? In the corner of the room Spyro was still attached to Howe's chest. He tried to torch Howe's face with his fire breath, but Howe clamped his muzzle shut. Spyro growled as smoke came from his nostrils, and the two fought for control.

Some light began to shed on the gang finally. David tried a disarming maneuver on Jack and somehow it worked. Before Jack could retrieve his sword David threw a right cross to Jack's face. Jack staggered back from the force and fell over. Frederick caught Duncan off guard and shoved him to the floor. Frederick stabbed downwards with his sword. Duncan rolled out of the way just in time. Howe finally threw Spyro off him. Spyro skittered to the floor and recovered quickly. Jack and Duncan stepped back towards Howe, while the gang gathered on the other side of the room.

"Well fought," Howe said. "This has been a worthy battle, but the war is not over. Prepare yourself, Game Master and company…" Howe and his two goons faded into the nothing. The gang sheathed their blades and sighed.

"I was sure we had him this time," Jarrod said, frustrated. Nick wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was perhaps the most nervous when it came to fight.

"I'm just glad it's over," Nick replied.

"What I want to know," Frederick began. "Is where is Roger? He was sucked into the black hole too. Why hasn't he shown up yet?"

"I fear maybe Howe has gotten to your friend already," Spyro remarked. He still had bits of torn cloth stuck in his claws. Frederick turned his sword back into a remote. He punched in the letters to spell another game, and a portal opened.

"We must waste no time," Frederick declared. "Let us be off to our next adventure." The gang agreed and followed Frederick into the portal.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pepsicraft

**Chapter 8 - Pepsicraft**

The portal dropped the gang off in a world of blocks. Literally. Everything was a block. The ground was made up of grass blocks. The trees were made of blocks. And the sun and clouds were even blocks. It was pretty obvious where they were now.

"Minecraft?" David asked. "Of all the fucking games…" Frederick laughed. He knew how much David hated Minecraft. Jarrod really had nothing to say. Nick was prancing around like a little girl, marveled by everything.

"Don't feel so down," Frederick told David. "In this game you get to do a lot of punching." David gasped and got this excited look on his face. He ran over to a tree and punched it with his fist. The tree got a crack in the middle. David kept punching the tree, creating more cracks in the bark. Finally the block from the tree gave away and it popped out. The block had shrunk down to the size of a baby block. David picked it up and inspected it. Then he walked over to a flat space of grass. He placed the block down and it enlarged again so that it was like it was on the tree.

"So I guess that's how it works," David concluded.

"You're quite the architect," Jarrod said sarcastically. "Let's gather more blocks so we can build a house." The gang spread out and started gathering resources. David gathered wood and created a crafting table so the rest could build tools. Frederick could have just summoned tools with the remote, but the gang felt like doing it legit. Jarrod and Nick took pickaxes and started digging for stone and ore. Frederick and Spyro went around killing animals for food. It was quite the experience for them. They've played Minecraft on PC and console before, but to actually live it was totally something new.

After a while the gang managed to build a pretty decent house. Frederick had made the blueprint using his remote. They were proud of their work and started decorating the interior of the house. They put up glass pane windows and crafting tables with furnaces next to them. There was a ladder going up to the bedroom where they built several beds for all of them. Torches were hung on the walls to provide light in case the night came quickly. And in Minecraft night time does come fairly quickly. When night did come the gang went inside their house and shut the door.

That night they sat around the furnace telling stories and chatting. Frederick put coal in the furnace and started cooking the beef he and Spyro gathered. He passed the well-done steaks around to David and the others.

"I can't wait to go to the next game," David said happily. "I hope we go to The Last of Us." He winked at Frederick. Frederick chuckled.

"No no," Jarrod interrupted. "Let's go to Halo. You guys know how good I am at that game. I could pick the head off a Grunt a mile away with a sniper." Nick laughed.

"Yeah right!" Nick replied sarcastically. "We all know you just camp with a sniper but you never get a shot on any of us." The three of them started arguing over who was better at Halo. Frederick sat there listening with a disappointed look. Of course the argument wasn't serious, but Frederick wished they would not argue over something stupid. Spyro leaned over to Frederick's ear.

"What's Halo?" Spyro whispered. For a dragon that lives in a video game universe Frederick sort of expected him to know certain games. But he certainly couldn't know every game.

"I'll tell you later," Frederick told him. For the moment while David, Nick, and Jarrod argued, Frederick put his arm around Spyro and relaxed. Spyro leaned into Frederick and sighed contently. It had been a rough day and neither of them had any time to properly spend with one another. From playing the games Frederick felt like he knew a lot about Spyro. But he wanted to get to know the real Spyro, not the pixelated character on the TV screen. And he couldn't stop thinking about what Spyro said in the Artisans. That Spyro knew a lot about him. How could that be true?

As the night dragged on the gang got more and more tired. Soon they started heading to bed. First David, then Nick, then Jarrod. The only ones left now were Frederick and Spyro. Both of them weren't as tired as the others. They wanted to stay up a little while longer with each other.

"So Spyro," Frederick said out of the blue. It was quiet and he wanted to break the silence. "How goes the relationship with Cynder?" Spyro chuckled and his cheeks turned red a bit.

"Well," Spyro started to reply. "When we get older she wants to mate and have a baby with me, so that's something to look forward to." Frederick smiled warmly. He loved a good romance in any video game.

"That's nice," Frederick said. "I always thought you guys were a cute couple." Spyro laughed and turned his head so Frederick wouldn't see him blushing.

"What about you?" Spyro asked. "Where's the love of your life?" Frederick shrugged. He never had the chance to get with a girl. It was just something he never put his mind to.

"I don't need a girlfriend," Frederick stated promptly. "I have my friends, and you of course. You really are the best friend I could ever ask for." Spyro gave him a really sincere look. He was personally touched for once in his life. He never really thought a human could become his best friend. For a moment they just looked at each other, not saying anything. Then it seemed like it was up to Frederick to break the silence.

"Spyro, I love you," Frederick said. There was an awkward feeling now and Spyro got a bit confused.

"Wait, what?" Spyro asked, puzzled. "You, love me? You know I have a girlfriend and I don't swing that way…"

"No no no," Frederick interrupted. "Not that kind of love. Platonic love. Best friends forever love."

"Oh, okay," Spyro said, reassured. "Well in that case, I love you too." Frederick smiled and hugged Spyro very tightly. They shared the moment together for a long while. Then Spyro climbed up on Frederick's chest and started licking his face. At first Frederick tried pushing Spyro away, but after a moment he started to like it and let him do it. Frederick closed his eyes as Spyro dragged his tongue repeatedly across his face. For some reason Spyro was drooling and got his drool all over Frederick's face. But Frederick didn't mind. In fact he liked it a lot.

After a minute or two Spyro stopped licking him. He smiled cutely and sat on Frederick's lap. They looked into each other's eyes for a long while. Then out of the blue Frederick lowered his head and kissed Spyro on the cheek. Spyro was really surprised and blushed really hard. He didn't say anything however, and just kept looking at Frederick with that same smile.

"We should probably get some sleep," Frederick suggested. Spyro nodded. He got off Frederick's lap allowing him to stand up. Frederick went towards the ladder to reach the next floor.

KABOOM! The back wall where the ladder was suddenly exploded. It sent Frederick and Spyro flying into the opposite wall. There was now a huge hole in the wall allowing them to see outside. After recovering from the blast Frederick looked out the giant hole in the wall. There were literally hordes of zombies, creepers, and skeletons waiting for them. An arrow shot by a skeleton flew and hit the wall next to Frederick. He went into cover and got his sword out. By then Spyro had flew upstairs to wake the rest of the gang up. Frederick grabbed a torch off the wall and held his sword in the other. After a brief moment he charged outside.

"Come and get me you bastards!" Frederick yelled. He cut the head off an oncoming zombie. A creeper came up to him and threatened to explode. Frederick impaled the creeper and sent its body to the ground. A skeleton readied an arrow and aimed at Frederick. Frederick dashed towards it and swung, cutting the bow in half. He kicked the skeleton in the chest and it fell into a pile of bones.

Suddenly Frederick heard what sounded like war cries coming from the house. He looked back briefly to see David, Nick, and Jarrod charging out. They were wielding swords, pickaxes, and axes. Spyro was with them. When they reunited they took on the horde together. Nick slashed and sliced mobs with his sword, David hacked at the mobs with his axe, and Jarrod attacked them with his pickaxe. But after a few minutes of fighting there seemed to be more mobs than they could kill.

"Fall back!" Frederick ordered. "Into the woods!" The gang stopped what they were doing and hightailed for the woods. Obviously Frederick wasn't thinking straight, since the woods was a bad place to retreat to. As they ran through the trees mobs popped out at them and attacked. They pressed on through the thicket nevertheless. But they weren't really looking where they were going. That led to them all falling into a ditch. They landed on stone ground surrounded by darkness. They had fallen into a mine. The mobs started peering over the top of the mine and jumping down.

"We have to keep moving!" David yelled. But there was nowhere to go. It was too dark to proceed into the mine. Frederick had dropped his torch a ways back. There was also a huge hole in the ground just behind them that led into eternal darkness. With the mobs advancing the gang had no choice but to back up towards it.

"What do we do?!" Jarrod asked frantically. Nick was shaking in absolute terror. David tried to remain calm but even he looked afraid. Spyro stuck close to Frederick, waiting for a command. Frederick was desperately trying to think of a way to quell the mob attack. He turned his sword back into a remote, planning to summon some kind of weapon. But a well shot arrow from a skeleton knocked the remote out of Frederick's hand and down into the pit.

"No!" Frederick cried. "Damn you!" Before he could act a spider jumped onto Nick suddenly. Nick fought and struggled as the spider tried to sink its fangs into his neck. He stumbled backwards and fell into the pit. All that was heard was his screaming fading until it was no longer heard. A creeper exploded and sent Jarrod and David flying into the pit. Frederick and Spyro were all that was left. Surrounded by mobs with no weapons, they had no choice. They turned around and jumped into the pit. Frederick shut his eyes and screamed inside his head as he was freefalling. He couldn't see or hear Spyro anymore. What he feared was that this pit ended on stone floor. Frederick would hit the ground and die instantly.

But to his surprise he landed in water. And a current started carrying him forward. An underground river. Frederick tried to stay above the surface as he was carried along through the dark cavern. He had no idea where this river was taking him. By the time the river deposited him onto dry land Frederick had passed out cold.

Frederick woke up to somebody rubbing his chest. They were rubbing it like they were trying to wake him up. When opened his eyes he saw Spyro over him pawing his chest. Frederick gently pushed Spyro aside and sat up. His head was swimming and his body was numb. What he was wondering was where had this river taken him? And where were the rest of his friends? Spyro left momentarily, and returned carrying something in his mouth. It was the Master Remote. Frederick smiled and took the remote from him. With his only source of power back in his hands he felt hope.

"I didn't see any of the others," Spyro mentioned. "But there's a trail that leads this way." Frederick got to his feet and saw the trail. He started walking that way with Spyro. Frederick summoned a torch with the remote for light. As they walked the walls soon turned from stone blocks to stone bricks. Frederick was getting a feeling they were getting towards something important. Finally they came into a big lit-up room. In the center of the room was a portal with a purple void. It was the portal to The End.

"Holy shit…" Frederick said in awe. "I could never find this portal in the game… but here we are in front of one…" He went up the stairs and looked down into the void.

"This must be where the rest of the gang went," Spyro told him. "We shouldn't waste time."

"Agreed," Frederick simply put. Together they both jumped into the void. They weren't ready for what they were about to see.

The portal took them to a huge island made up of green End stone. All around them were several huge pillars composed of obsidian. On top of the pillars were the devices used to heal the Enderdragon. Endermen were scattered everywhere, roaming around minding their own business. Frederick knew not to look directly at them or else they would become hostile. But in front of them was something they didn't expect to see.

There was a huge cage. Inside the cage was David, Jarrod, Nick, and Roger! Frederick was relieved to see them but not happy to see them locked up. Standing next to the cage was the Enderdragon. But it didn't look like the Minecraft Enderdragon. Instead of being made up of blocks it was made of flesh and scales. It was like a real life version of the Enderdragon. And on the dragon's back was Duncan. He smiled in a despicable way. Howe was on the other side of the cage sitting on a folding chair drinking a can of Pepsi.

"Glad you could make it Frederick," Howe announced. "Myself and Duncan have a little treat for you."

"Shut the fuck up," Frederick spat. "I could care less what you have for me. Now let my friends go or else." Suddenly the Enderdragon started advancing towards Frederick. Frederick instinctively turned the remote into a sword.

"Now now," Duncan said. "We don't want any violence. We are going to make a deal with you." The Enderdragon kept advancing, but not in a combative way.

"W-What do you mean?" Frederick asked nervously. He was beginning to think Duncan and Howe knew something about him. Something he never told anyone in his entire life. The Enderdragon got close enough to Frederick by now. It stopped and opened its huge mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth, a forked pink tongue, a black pit of a throat, and saliva dripping everywhere. In that moment Frederick went into a trance. He dropped his sword and just gazed into the dragon's maw.

"Frederick?" Spyro asked worriedly. He had no idea what was going on. Neither did any of the gang in the cage. But Howe and Duncan knew. They knew Frederick's darkest secret. And now they were using it against him.

"We know what you want," Duncan said calmly. "And we can give it to you. All you have to do is say, I surrender." The gang in the cage started yelling curse words and threats towards Howe and Duncan.

"Frederick, don't do it!" David screamed.

"Fight back!" Jarrod yelled.

"Don't give in!" Nick shouted. Frederick was just standing there, shaking badly. He wanted it so bad. He could hear the shouts of his friends but for some reason was ignoring them. He wanted to fulfill his ultimate fantasy. They could see a bulge in Frederick's jeans. They knew how badly he wanted it. Spyro tugged on Frederick's leg, trying to get him to snap out of it. But it was no use.

"I-I… I… surrender," Frederick finally said. The gang all shouted in disapproval and anger. Spyro looked up at Frederick in utter disbelief.

"Very well," Duncan said. He motioned something to the Enderdragon. The Enderdragon clamped its mouth over Frederick's top half. It picked him up and tilted its head back. Then it reopened its mouth, allowing Frederick to slide down its throat with ease. Spyro and the gang watched in horror as Frederick became a bulge that traveled down the dragon's neck and into its belly. Recovering from his shock Spyro remembered the sword. He tried to pick it up, but Duncan pulled out his 45 and shot at Spyro. The bullet missed but still made Spyro back away fearfully.

"Ah, the Master Remote," Duncan said, dismounting the Enderdragon. He went and picked up the golden sword. He pressed the middle button which turned it back into a remote.

"Duncan," Howe called. "We are done here. Let us depart." Duncan nodded. In the blink of an eye he, Howe, and the Enderdragon vanished. The cage also disappeared, releasing the gang. David and Jarrod regrouped with Spyro, while Nick cried with Roger trying to comfort him. Spyro was even upset and had a tear in his eye.

"Is Frederick dead now?" Spyro asked.

"We don't know," David replied. "Howe might get him out of there and hold him up somewhere. But without the remote I don't know how we're going to get out of here." That problem was quickly solved as David saw an End portal over in the center of the island. It was the portal that appeared after you defeat the Enderdragon. And with the dragon gone the portal must have appeared on its own. David rounded up the others and headed to the portal.

"I don't know where this will take us," David said. "But we have to rescue Frederick and recover the Master Remote. Who knows what Howe and Duncan will do with that kind of power in their hands."

"So that's what Frederick's been hiding all along," Jarrod remarked. "No wonder he likes Spyro so much."

"Guys, let's forget about that," Spyro ordered. "We're not here to discuss his personal pleasure. We have to find him and get the remote back." They agreed and jumped into the portal together.


End file.
